Investment boosts Maamba coal power plant capacity

MORE than US$900 million has been invested to ensure that our coal fired power plant runs on full capacity, Nava Bharat Ventures Group operating the 300 MW Maamba Coal Power Plant in Sinazongwe has said.

Nava Bharat chief executive officer Ashwin Devineni said the plant had been operating at full capacity feeding net 265 megawatts of electricity onto the ZESCO national grid for the last three years.

He was speaking when he called on Zambia’s High Commissioner to India Judith Kapijimpanga at the Zambian Chancery in New Delhi, India.

“The coal fired electricity from Maamba Collieries will make a significant difference by providing base load power on a sustainable basis in the wake of challenges by hydroelectricity resulting from poor rainfall,” Mr. Devineni said.

And Zambia’s High Commissioner to India Judith Kapijimpanga said the Zambian Mission in India would give full support to the Zambian company as it was making a huge difference in Zambia.

“The Group could create in excess of 500 jobs at its Kawambwa Sugar Plantation in Kawambwa District, Luapula Province, when the sugar project is taken up once Government meets the promised basic infrastructure development for the Kawambwa project,” Mss. Kapijimpanga said.

She said the Mission was happy with the projected investment at the Luena Farm Block.

This is contained in a statement released by First Secretary Press and Tourism at the Zambian Mission in India Bangwe Naviley.